The charge, one of six against Hernandez, was read in an Attleboro, Mass., courtroom.

Hernandez was charged with murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and two charges each of possession of a large capacity firearm and possession of a firearm without an ID card.

Late Wednesday, the Hartford Correctional Center said that Carlos Ortiz, 27, was being held on a $1.5 million bond in connection to the Hernandez case, according to the Boston Globe. The correctional center didn't say what charges Ortiz was being held on, according to the newspaper.

Prosecutor Bill McCauley said Lloyd was shot multiple times in groin, arm, side, chest and back. Lloyd played semi-pro football with the Boston Bandits and was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee.

"It is at bottom a circumstantial case. It is not a strong case," Hernandez' attorney, Michael Fee, said at the court hearing.

Lloyd's family members cried and hugged in the courtroom as McCauley outlined the killing. Two relatives were so overcome with emotion that they had to leave the courtroom.

McCauley said the crime stemmed from a night out at a Boston club called Rumor on June 14. He said Hernandez was upset about certain things, including that Lloyd had talked to some people Hernandez "had troubles with."

Two days later, McCauley said, on the night of June 16, Hernandez texted two friends from out of state and asked them to hurry back to Massachusetts.

Surveillance footage from outside Hernandez's home showed him leaving with a gun, and he told someone in the house that he was upset and couldn't trust anyone anymore, the prosecutor said.

The three men picked up Lloyd at his home around 2:30 a.m., according to authorities. As they drove around, they discussed what happened at the nightclub, and Lloyd started getting nervous, McCauley said.

Lloyd texted his sister, "Did you see who I am with?" When she asked who, he answered, at 3:22 a.m., "NFL," then, a minute later, "Just so you know."

Within a few minutes after that, people working the overnight shift at the industrial park reported hearing gunshots, McCauley said.

Investigators did not specify who fired the shots and did not identify the two other people who were with Hernandez.

In arguing unsuccessfully for bail, Hernandez's attorney said the athlete is unlikely to flee, is a homeowner, and lives with his fiancee and an 8-month-old baby. He also said Hernandez had never been accused of a violent crime.

As he was led from his home in the morning, Hernandez was wearing a white V-neck T-shirt, with his arms inside the shirt and behind his back. He spit into some bushes on his way to a police cruiser.

Later, as he was taken from the North Attleboro police station to court, two dozen supporters cheered, some yelling, "We love you Aaron!"

"Words cannot express the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested as a result of this investigation," the Patriots said in a statement announcing he had been cut.

The team added: "We realize that law enforcement investigations into this matter are ongoing. We support their efforts and respect the process. At this time, we believe this transaction is simply the right thing to do."

The Patriots drafted Hernandez, who is originally from Bristol, Conn., in 2010 out of the University of Florida, where he was an All-American.

During the draft, one team said it wouldn't take him under any circumstances, and he was passed over by one club after another before New England took him in the fourth round.

Afterward, Hernandez said he had failed a drug test in college — reportedly for marijuana — and was up front with teams about it.

In other off-the-field troubles, a Florida man filed a lawsuit last week claiming Hernandez shot him in the face after they argued at a strip club in February.

And The Boston Globe reported that Hernandez lost his temper and threatened a teammate during an argument in the team's weight room shortly after he was drafted.

Hernandez became a father on Nov. 6, and said he intended to change his ways: "Now, another one is looking up to me. I can't just be young and reckless Aaron no more. I'm going to try to do the right things."

Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward, declined to comment at her Boston home Wednesday.

"Nothing to say, please. Thank you," she said, before shutting the door.

After Hernandez's arrest, residents in his subdivision expressed relief, the Boston Globe reported. One who lives across the street from Hernandez and asked to only be identified by her first name called his arrest "anticlimactic."

State police have searched in and around Hernandez's home in North Attleboro several times. At least three search warrants have been issued in connection with the investigation.

North Attleboro is southwest of Boston and near the Patriots headquarters and home field in Foxborough, Mass. It is near the Rhode Island line.

Reporters camped out for days at Hernandez's sprawling home. They reported Tuesday that Hernandez got a visit from Boston defense attorney James Sultan.

The Patriots issued the following statement about releasing Hernandez:

"A young man was murdered last week and we extend our sympathies to the family and friends who mourn his loss. Words cannot express the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested as a result of this investigation. We realize that law enforcement investigations into this matter are ongoing. We support their efforts and respect the process. At this time, we believe this transaction is simply the right thing to do."

The NFL released the following statement: "The involvement of an NFL player in a case of this nature is deeply troubling. The Patriots have released Aaron Hernandez, who will have his day in court. At the same time, we should not forget the young man who was the victim in this case and take this opportunity to extend our deepest sympathy to Odin Lloyd’s family and friends."